Container filling devices are in extensive use in many applications. For example, stringent health regulations in the hotel and restaurant industry often make it necessary, on a daily basis, to fill a large number of spray bottles, mop buckets, and other containers with various types of disinfectant and cleaning solutions. For this purpose, it is customary to provide, in a convenient location, a set of filling devices which, upon actuation of appropriate controls, dispense a stream of water mixed in a built-in venturi with one or more chemicals.
Conventional filling devices of this type have one or more drawbacks in practical use. For example, the water stream is customarily turned on and off by a bulky magnetically toggled pilot valve. Adjacent daisy-chained devices connected by screw-threaded fittings may not be connectable tightly enough to avoid leaks. One-handed operation of the device may be awkward, as may be the filling of a bucket several yards away from the device.
Additionally, if air is allowed to be entrained with the water/chemical stream discharged into the container, many cleaning solutions and other mixtures tend to foam quite strongly. As a result, foam overflows the container even if the container is nowhere near filled with liquid. Consequently, much time is wasted because either the container must be filled unnecessarily often, or the operator must fill the container very slowly.
Another related problem arises from the fact that the venturi devices require an air gap, i.e. a device which breaks any accidental siphon, so as to prevent water in the venturi from flowing back into the public water supply. In practice, the filling apparatus is typically mounted on a wall. Most conventional air gap devices of the type useful in such filling apparatus have a tendency, albeit small, to spit and splash spray water outwardly of the air gap device. This spray, and the resulting drip, is annoying and, over a period of time, tends to damage the wall and make the apparatus unsanitary.
Prior to the present invention, water public safety authorities would only approve for this purpose a completely open air gap device which would cause the above-described foaming, spitting and splashing. With the use of the present invention, applicants have been successful in obtaining local and national water authority approvals for anti-foaming splash proof venturis throughout the United States and many parts of the world.
It is therefore desirable to provide a simple, versatile filling device that can be modularly altered to suit a variety of operating locations and modes, and which can be easily operated from the distal end of a hose at a substantial distance from the device. Additionally, it is desirable to provide an improved device which is simple in construction and operation, but minimizes foaming during mixing of the water/chemical stream.